Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-08-19
An Operators Tale.

rom fllIsUuTS DispitCu.J
Away up on The slope of the ALLIE
gbeny siogntains, four or five mile
from Uniontown and only Q lev step
off the line Of the old Cumberlan'
pike, little plain board cabin stands
1t isn't much bigger than a good siz
ed dog kennel and it is set SO ia
back among the rocks and trees tha
it cannot he seel l9o-e than lO'
yards away. But there is q cteadiy
home-like air about the place tina
speaks as positively as words of IT,
refinement Of the owner. The owne
himself a. eomewbat of mystery t.
the great majority of the salp;;e- -rind
ed mountain folk who live in that vi
pinity, but to the select few who en-
joy his copGGennce he is a. frienC
whose friendship il as solid as th'
rocks on which his little home il
Guilt. A reporter rambling over tn
mountains stumbled all Unexpectedly
upon toe sssiaded dwelling. The oc
cupant was sitting ia q ao#e-Ii3nf
hammock just outside the door ad
justing fishing line to a pretty
joir ed rod. A daily paper lay OF
the ground at his feet. He was {
young man, pQt more than 80 gears
of age, but hair aRd mestache Vert
as white as silver, and there was aT
expression of sadness Oh his face
which seemed to be habitual. His
clothing was old and worn, but il
was wei. se.t end neat for all that
and it was worn with gsaoo t.2t j;
not born in the mountain districts.
He welcomed his visitor as heart
ily as if he had known him for years
end his Invitation to take seat and
rest almost AMOUNTED to g. command
During the two hours conversation
which followed, be told the sad story
of his life and the combination of cir.
cumstances which led him to leave the
habitations of men and go away into
the mountain by himself.
II nsed to live in Pittsburg," be
said, "and yo4 are the lrst man fror,
there that I have seen for five years
1t doesn't make any differepce what
my name is. l have relatives living
and it is better they should not know
where |. am. You want to know
what made my hair so gray and why
l am living here? Well, l don't mind
tell yon, althoug I've been trying foi
ten years or more to forget it oil.
II was raised and educated il
Ptitsburg. I learned telegraphy in
the Western Union Office, and when
not 80 years of age was put in chargt
of an office on railroad out in
Ohio. 1t doesn't make any differ
ence what otlice it was OF what roat
it was on, it was an ofiice and G
rather important one at that.
hadn't been in my new position more
than six weeks when l fell desperate
ly in love with girl who lived only
block from my office. The attachmen
was mutual, and when si1 weeks hat
heightened into six months we were
engaged. One night--it was in Feb
ruary, 1S77-I had been to see my
sweetheart and about midnight wa
sitting in my Office thinking of the
coming wedding. end feeling as hap
py as any young man with brigh
prospects ahead of him could feel
when word came over the wires tha
special train was coming over thi
main track westward. 1t was still
80 miles away, and after recording
the fact that it coming, my thought
required to the little girl down th'
street.
"Ten minutes later the conducto
of the eastbound eXpress came in TO
orders. "All right, Bill" ! said, as
glanced up and saw him, and d min
ute later he was on his train, speeding
away at 25-mile. an, hour gait. Th'
rear lights were scarcely out of sigh
when l happened to look at my desk
There was nothing there but my in
strument and bit of paper, but thai
bit of paper was enough, There il
plain letters on it, were the words
had written not more than quartz
of an hour before, Extra freight, tel
Bill to sidetrack" The express hat
TO sidetrack, you know, because tn
switches were not long enough TO
ireights. Ny hair fairly stood OF
end. There was that freight coming
on with full steam, with the express
coming to meet it at rate of a5 mile
an hour. / fell back in my chair
and the cold perspiration broke ou
all over me. Then l grasped the ke.
to my instrument and called in sue
cession all the Offices intervening be
tween the two trains. The were al
day Offices, and the operators hat
gone home hours before. The click
ing of the instrument sounded. to m,
excited imagination, as loud as tn
discharge of cannons. For fv
minues l called in the desperate hop
that some one would hear NEAR me i
time to stop the express. But it wa
no use. Every Office was closed.
II dropped the key and ran dow
stairs and out onto the track.
think | had wild hop
that / could overtake th
express, but as / got into the ope
air realized the folly of any such al
tempt and with feeling of utter des
pair | returned to the Office and dror
ped into the chair. But | couldn
| cit still The instrument on th
desk seemed to nopk and the aig ii
the Office seemed sitting. wake
out on track again aud walked bac
and forth along the cross ties waitin
for the result. l knew it must com